overload

i'm entirely overwhelmed here! in the past few weeks i have seen more & experienced more than i thought was possible. my head hurts & everything is far too beautiful & inspiring.

some quick observations {i never have much time online} :

*in nice, you feel like grace kelly or carey grant {depending on your gender of course}

*in venice, you feel like a rat in a maze {but it's a really exciting maze}

*in florence, you feel like an art student

*in cinque terre, you feel like an explorer

* . . . like every summer abroad, k & i are coming back fat & happy : ) the food here is to die for! & i thought i was going to starve. . . hmm. . . i keep thinking of elizabeth gilbert's time in italy. . .

*even though i'm loving every minute of all this madness, i am so excited about my time home & the rest of the year.

*dana saladoff is my soul mate. k & i had a really hard time saying goodbye to her today at the station in la spezia.

* i know that i'll be back here again one day to paint

* like airports, i have an interesting relationship with hostels. i love all the people & excitement, but sometimes i crave a little quiet place to sit & meditate for a while

*i miss yoga like something fierce

*it is so sad watching your bank account slowly diminish before your eyes

* i need to travel with a raincoat that actually works {abby, i didn't believe you when you said that garish green one doesn't work}

* i cannot wait to share some of my own photos!

*cinque terre is the place to meet up with random carolina grads/undergrads {no joke, we met up with so many through the 7 hr. hike!}

tomorrow, we leave for rome. i hate that our time in florence was short, but we're excited to fight the crowds & heat in rome! we've heard some ridiculous stories so far. maybe, just maybe, i'll get to ride on a moped through the streets of rome. also, kandyce, k & i still might take a trip to orvieto from rome! i'll keep you posted.

{photos by k. the first is our first view of venice in the rain & the second is from our hike through cinque terre today}